Traveller’s Tales brings the newest addition to the LEGO game franchise LEGO Batman 2 DC Super Heroes. Bringing the ever so popular Batman back for his second appearance in block form. If you are familiar with the Lego franchise you will immediately recognise the puzzles and platforming. However, with the second coming of Batman he brings voices to the characters, a first for the LEGO games.

Story

Spinning its own original story in the DC universe we see Lex Luthor running for president, teaming up with The Joker and rigging the election in his favour. Well, trying to. This is where Batman comes in with his trusty sidekick Robin, but that’s not all. Superman and eventually the entire Justice League come down to help do what they do.

While LEGO Batman 2 boasts an original story don’t rely on it to carry you through the eight or so hours of gameplay it will get you. Don’t get me wrong, it is fun and with the addition of dialog the typical LEGO game humour is brought to a whole new level but we are thrown into news casts from Vicki Vale to recap the current state of the story a few times too many. The game starts off well, it pulls you in and peaks your curiosity but after a few hours the typical hero/villain clichés can get tiresome.

Gameplay

LEGO Batman 2 (Xbox 360) Review

Running through levels with puzzles, breakable objects and bad guys to break apart can always be fun; awkward camera angles and hard to judge platforming on the other hand, not so much.

The progression through each chapter fairly simple, it prompts you to solve problems with the hero’s abilities. Each time a puzzle comes up you will need to either find a glowing object to break in order to build a new suit for either Batman or Robin or constantly swap between the two in order to solve the puzzle. That is until more heroes come into the equation and then it’s more a matter of finding the right one to use. This is where playing with a friend would make it more fun, as you wouldn’t be switching characters every few seconds.

At times the controls can feel a bit gawky, which can be troublesome for the puzzles or platforming that involves any form of precise direction, and at times the camera placement can make it hard to judge a gap or ledge. You don’t have to remember a whole number of actions the buttons do because with the analog stick to move you only really need four: fight, swap characters, jump and everything else.
The gameplay is both easy and fun for the most part, but it can get a little frustrating at times. Although mid-level save points have been implemented, there is a drive to finish off the current level before you put down the controller and walk away.

LEGO Batman 2 DC Super Heroes brings an all new aspect and instead of having a central hub for everything you get the entirety of Gotham City to explore, find collectables and scale tall buildings. Once the main story is complete you are free to choose a character from those that you have already unlocked to roam the city. With collectables scattered throughout each level it means that you can go back through each one in order to unlock absolutely everything. The same goes for Gotham City having both side missions to complete and collectables to find that will unlock more characters and vehicles. You also get the opportunity to head into the Batcave and create your own character once you’re done with the story.

Graphics & Sound

When flying around Gotham City it is easy to forget that you are in fact playing a game based on LEGO; that is until you see a giant LEGO man statue. Traveller’s Tales have done an amazing job with the graphics of the game world at a large and keeping Gotham looking bleak. Even through each level in the story there is a distinct difference between the breakable LEGO block objects and the environment itself but keeping it all looking rather blocky.

LEGO Batman 2 brings the typical LEGO sounds as well as the usual DC super hero soundtrack. The music itself can get repetitive. You do have the ability to turn the music level down which makes it easy to ignore if it gets on your nerves too much, but keeping the satisfying sounds of breaking LEGO.

Overall

The best way to enjoy LEGO Batman 2 is to sit down with a friend, child or younger sibling. The controls are simple enough and the story is easy to understand and has its own sense of humour that would appeal to kids and older players alike. For those new to the LEGO games franchise this is a good time to start playing with the new additions that have been implemented. While the story can drag on a bit there is something about running, driving or flying around a LEGO Gotham City that is just satisfying.